21 Dec 2018

 A Selebi Phikwe resident, Mr Odirile Mosimanewakgosi, 43, is testimony that people living with disabilities continue to do well in business to show that disability is not inability.

Mr Mosimanewakgosi, who is living with disability, said delivering quality work and customer satisfaction boosts his printing business.

He said he completed a three-year certificate in art and design from Jairos Jiri Association for the rehabilitation of the disabled and the blind in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, in 1996 where he studied painting, lettering, portraits, dyes and botik. He now owns OD and D Art and Designing business that specialises in T-shirt printing, car branding, signage, number plates printing and many more printing works.  

He said he started his business in January 2013 after being funded to the tune of P26 000 under the Poverty Eradication Programme, adding that his business started to grow after he bought all the necessary equipment.

Mr Mosimanewakgosi said after marketing his business through social media, flyers and signage, his business managed to attract more customers in and around Selebi Phikwe such as private companies, government departments and individuals.

“I am proud of the quality work and excellent customer service that I give my customers which makes my customers to come back for my services and also recommend my service to others,” he said.

He said although his business was doing well, there were challenges such as some customers not wanting to be charged money equivalent to the work they received.

Mr Mosimanewakgosi said another challenge was the high cost of materials that he uses, which he buys from as far as Francistown and transports to Selebi Phikwe which affects profits. 

He said businesses which were funded by the programme could be sustainable if they were supported by government departments, complaining that some departments prefered giving tenders to companies and individuals from outside the town for jobs that could be done locally.

He said sometimes such companies and individuals failed to deliver, and that they were called to the rescue.

He added that sometimes they were given a short notice to apply for tenders which impacted the quality if they did not fail to apply altogether.

Mr Mosimanewakgosi advised other poverty eradication beneficiaries to be patient and work hard if they wanted to succeed. He also encouraged them to form partnerships in order to share the few available customers to grow their businesses.

He also called for more follow ups and interactions with the office that coordinates poverty eradication programmes to reduce failure rates. ENDS